S01.E07: Enemy of the People

[Whimsy]

Quote

The stakes are high when Concerned Citizen targets Eileen at gunpoint and takes her hostage in the newsroom. As the clock ticks, the team races to help before it’s too late.

Original airdate 3/2/2023

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Dowel Jones]

A well done episode, I thought.  The epilogue about the dangers of reporting was particularly worthy considering current events around here.

[mojito]

I was hoping that just for once, the guy who was inside and helping wouldn't get caught. I knew he would, though, because writers aren't creative enough to go against formula. 

Decent episode. The cliffhanger was lost on me as I forgot all about the last episode. Almost forgot the show altogether.

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

I was hoping that just for once, the guy who was inside and helping wouldn't get caught. I knew he would, though, because writers aren't creative enough to go against formula. 

Decent episode. The cliffhanger was lost on me as I forgot all about the last episode. Almost forgot the show altogether.

I had forgotten about it as well, and all the commercials for the show coming back didn't come from this episode so they didn't reflect the hostage situation. They were all about finding Gloria's killer, which I guess is the rest of the season.

I thought it was well done though.

[mrsbagnet]

I'm glad the show is back. I was not expecting the twist of Gabriel hiding in the closet. Also, as a librarian, I was in awe of the reporters' lightning-fast research skills.

[thuganomics85]

Man, it's been a while!  At least I heard there will be no more breaks after these last batch of episodes (have a feeling this show is going to be one season and done though.)

The hostage situation went the way I figured it would, but it was suspenseful enough and well acted by all of the players.  Poor Gabriel really does have the worst luck, huh?  Concerned Citizen was probably always destined to end the way he did, but I still felt a a bit of a gut punch when you see that his daughter did call right after he was taken out.  I can only imagine the guilt she might feel if she ever finds that out and wonder if she could have changed the outcome if she didn't have that initial hesitation.

No surprise that outrage blogger would still try to shift blame and claim no responsibility for anything.  That's usually how it goes: these folks who make their living on stirring the hornet's nest and ramping up outrage always are all "Who, me?!  I would never!" once their words actually lead to one of their followers taking action.

Liked how almost everyone played a part in this situation.

I'm guessing they'll go back to focusing on Gracie's killer next week.  Again, since I don't see this show going past this season, I hope they had time to give it a proper conclusion.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Eileen made 2 right decisions that saved her life - treated Eric Barry like a human and not presenting him as a ‘monster’ in her write up.

Using the analytics page to communicate was a clever hack. Is it possible IRL? I have no idea.

Eileen finally went on a flying date with Jamie, nice…

Can we get back to Gloria Nanmac’s investigation now please!

 

[Simba122504]

On 3/3/2023 at 3:06 PM, mojito said:

I was hoping that just for once, the guy who was inside and helping wouldn't get caught. I knew he would, though, because writers aren't creative enough to go against formula. 

Decent episode. The cliffhanger was lost on me as I forgot all about the last episode. Almost forgot the show altogether.

I actually stopped recording it after Episode 2 or maybe Episode 3, but then I decided to start watching again and caught up before the return. I also knew his daughter was going to end up calling right before or after his death. I keep forgetting that she doesn't have a place yet and is still living at the hotel. 

[chediavolo]

Unpopular opinion I guess but I thought this episode was horrible. It felt like it was written by a completely different writing team. A bunch of high schoolers trying to do a movie of the week. I actually cringed at some of the dialogue and acting. . If this schlock keeps up I’m out.  

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

Unpopular opinion I guess but I thought this episode was horrible. It felt like it was written by a completely different writing team. A bunch of high schoolers trying to do a movie of the week. I actually cringed at some of the dialogue and acting. . If this schlock keeps up I’m out.  

Boring, predictable and preachy episode

Edited March 5, 2023 by Rickster

[CrystalBlue]

Has Roz ever smiled even once in her life?

[txhorns79]

On 3/3/2023 at 4:06 PM, mojito said:

 

Decent episode. The cliffhanger was lost on me as I forgot all about the last episode. Almost forgot the show altogether.

Yes, ABC apparently was fine with destroying any momentum the show was building by going on a four month break between new episodes.

 

On 3/3/2023 at 6:40 PM, mrsbagnet said:

Also, as a librarian, I was in awe of the reporters' lightning-fast research skills.

I did marvel at how quickly they managed to investigate the guy. 

[Daff]

On 3/4/2023 at 4:45 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Using the analytics page to communicate was a clever hack. Is it possible IRL? I have no idea.

I don’t have a clue either and I didn’t bother to pause it, go to my screen, and read the lines. I assumed it was an outside feed of current news trends, but that the editors could insert comments/suggestions which might only appear in their particular bullpen. If his messages were readable by everyone on the service, other media would have descended like locusts, but after 13? hours, the streets were like a ghost town. 

[mrsbagnet]

3 hours ago, Daff said:

I assumed it was an outside feed of current news trends, but that the editors could insert comments/suggestions which might only appear in their particular bullpen.

The feed was showing page views for articles on their paper's website. The editors were putting up fake articles with those headlines (the articles could have been Lorem Ipsum) or just headlines with blank articles. The way I understood it was that the new headline would show on top when posted, then move down as other articles were read by people visiting their website.

[grawlix]

On 3/4/2023 at 1:45 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Using the analytics page to communicate was a clever hack. Is it possible IRL? I have no idea.

 

5 hours ago, Daff said:

I don’t have a clue either and I didn’t bother to pause it, go to my screen, and read the lines. I assumed it was an outside feed of current news trends, but that the editors could insert comments/suggestions which might only appear in their particular bullpen. If his messages were readable by everyone on the service, other media would have descended like locusts, but after 13? hours, the streets were like a ghost town. 

 

1 hour ago, mrsbagnet said:

The feed was showing page views for articles on their paper's website. The editors were putting up fake articles with those headlines (the articles could have been Lorem Ipsum) or just headlines with blank articles. The way I understood it was that the new headline would show on top when posted, then move down as other articles were read by people visiting their website.

I think the analytics page is something recently added to the newsroom.   The result of a suggestion that Roz's boyfriend, Jindahaa, gave to Roz and later to Stanley (E6).   I would imagine that Stanley had an interface near his desk and there was a backup interface where Gabriel was hiding.  I did notice the name associated with to top entry said "G. Tovar".  Is that Gabriel's last name?

On 3/5/2023 at 1:30 PM, CrystalBlue said:

Has Roz ever smiled even once in her life?

Well, Roz did smile when she was with her friends on the State Fair episode.  i think she even laughed!  😀

[CrystalBlue]

Yes, Gabriel Tovar is the character's name.

[andromeda331]

I like the end part with the article. 

I like the other reporters getting information on the guy and how Eileen handled him. She did a good job. So did Gabriel.

My one nitpick is when the others went up to Eileen and Gabriel afterwards. Eileen got a hug but Gabriel didn't. Eventually he did. But come on guys. Hug him too. 

[Zaffy]

First episode I disliked...
I found it cliche, cliche, very cliche and stupid.
Also was there something wrong with Hilary Swank? her acting was.. I dunno...wooden?
 

[kaygeeret]

Was this epi run out of sequence?

I really, really wanted the story about the missing/murdered  Indigenous women to continue.

I think I have lost the track of that story.

Any news on renewal or what the ratings are?

 

[Dowel Jones]

The first part of the season ended with "Concerned Citizen" taking her hostage in the newsroom, so I'm pretty sure there was nothing in between that one and this one.

[AheadofStraight]

 

16 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

Any news on renewal or what the ratings are?

 

I haven't seen anything about renewals but here is ratings info. Down overall but up from previous episode.

[izabella]

On 3/7/2023 at 5:17 AM, Zaffy said:

Also was there something wrong with Hilary Swank? her acting was.. I dunno...wooden?

I think she was being very careful and cautious not to set off the crazy man with the gun.

[CrystalBlue]

On 3/8/2023 at 9:46 AM, AheadofStraight said:

 

I haven't seen anything about renewals but here is ratings info. Down overall but up from previous episode.

Having the long break and viewers forgetting about or losing interest in the show couldn't have helped either.

[AheadofStraight]

Agree - but thought it was encouraging that the returning episode had a 10% increase in viewers despite the long break.

[SunnyBeBe]

I loved this episode, though it was tragic.  I thought it went the right way.  Zero tolerance for terrorists.  I like Eileen more now.  
 

I recall our city’s major newspaper having tight security, limited admittance, security cameras and guard back in the 90’s.  So…..

[MadeleineElster]

I enjoyed this series in the fall, but the break was too long. Also, this episode finished the character arc of the  "Concerned Citizen" and should have been shown in the fall before they took the break.  I had forgotten much of what led up to this situation.

I like this show and I think generally the scripts are intelligent and the characters well-drawn. They don't usually fall into typical tropes. In other TV shows, for instance, the editor would be some sort of antagonist blocking her ideas. But he's not -- he's thoughtful and expresses reasonable concerns at time, but the character is well-modulated. 

That said, I worry the network is trying to tank it. That was a stupid decision to have such a long break in a new series that's still developing-- and not to have this episode end the fall season.  Oh well... I hope they keep it around and give it time to find its footing. 

[andromeda331]

8 hours ago, MadeleineElster said:

I enjoyed this series in the fall, but the break was too long. Also, this episode finished the character arc of the  "Concerned Citizen" and should have been shown in the fall before they took the break.  I had forgotten much of what led up to this situation.

I like this show and I think generally the scripts are intelligent and the characters well-drawn. They don't usually fall into typical tropes. In other TV shows, for instance, the editor would be some sort of antagonist blocking her ideas. But he's not -- he's thoughtful and expresses reasonable concerns at time, but the character is well-modulated. 

That said, I worry the network is trying to tank it. That was a stupid decision to have such a long break in a new series that's still developing-- and not to have this episode end the fall season.  Oh well... I hope they keep it around and give it time to find its footing. 

That's my worry too. I think CBS is trying to get the Equalizer canceled doing the same crap. They already moved the Wonder Years which did good last season to the summer. If that happens.  It's too bad. It's a good show with a lot of potential. I like the characters except Eileen.  I like the editor isn't a villian or there to annoy Eileen. He listens to her and he's fair. He's doing his job instead of using his job for power or something.

 

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/5/2023 at 4:30 PM, CrystalBlue said:

Has Roz ever smiled even once in her life?

...and her last name is Friendly hehehe😉

On 3/6/2023 at 5:33 PM, grawlix said:

I think the analytics page is something recently added to the newsroom.   The result of a suggestion that Roz's boyfriend, Jindahaa, gave to Roz and later to Stanley (E6).   

I thought that Jindahaa's suggestion was about how to pictorially depict the magnitude of all the data they have in the spreadsheet about the Indigenous woman disappearing.

[grawlix]

On 3/17/2023 at 5:14 PM, LuvMyShows said:

I thought that Jindahaa's suggestion was about how to pictorially depict the magnitude of all the data they have in the spreadsheet about the Indigenous woman disappearing.

You're right.  I should have paid more attention when watching.